Notting Hill – London

Famous for long streets with characteristic houses, old bookshops, the movie Notting Hill of course and the Portobello Market, Notting Hill attracts thousands of tourists per month. I am in love with Notting Hill, probably just like any other person that walks trough the neighborhood. I am just not in love with the part of Notting Hill most tourists get to see.

What to see in Notting Hill? Ask a couple of random people and they will all simultaneously anwser you need to visit the Portobello Market. No surprise Portobello Road is insanely touristic. While traveling outside of the high season, I still found it way too crowded. And while the market is fun I prefer the market in Camden Town much more over the Portobello Market.

To me, it are the quiet, little streets of Notting Hill that hold the actual charm of the neighborhood. Once you walk away from Portobello Road you’ll find yourself in a tranquil and serene surrounding. No traffic to be found. No tourists to be found.. actually: almost nobody to be found. Or well. except for us.. of course;-). Which I think is rare, seeing how busy London normally is.

While walking over Portobello Road – yes, still our first destination after arriving in Notting Hill – I kept finding side streets that I wanted to walk through simply because they all looked equally pretty. While annoying my boyfriend I dragged him from one street to the other photographing every beautiful detail I found. The more and more I walked away from that center around Portobello Road the neighborhood got prettier and prettier.. a new side of Notting Hill I didn’t see before.